This is the start
by mercymia
Summary: Sam and Mercedes life set to the song "This" by Ed Sheeran. Formerly know as "This is the start of something beautiful" but instead of breaking it down into six parts I combined them all.


**AN: I decided to repost this story in its entirety. I thought it better and it flows together better as one piece, so I hope you enjoy! **

**Reminder: It's based off of This by Ed Sheeran. **

**Disclaimer: I don't own glee. **

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><p><em>This is the start of something beautiful<em>

_This is the start of something new_

Sam twirled Mercedes around as they got settled into a spot on the dance floor. He watched, mesmerized by the way her face lit up while she laughed. He was surprised that a simple action like a twirl could cause such a stunning smile to appear on her beautiful face, but Sam guess that was just Mercedes Jones. Always smiling, even for the small things. He watched as the smile on her face turned into confusion and he panicked for a moment. _Was he making her uncomfortable?_ Then he noticed that she was fiddling with her free hand, glancing at the hand he was still holding. He let out a small chuckle, realizing that she was just as nervous as he was. Taking the lead, like a gentleman should, he used his free hand to guide hers to his shoulder. Once it was comfortably placed, he put his hand around her waist and pulled her close. She seemed caught off guard by his forwardness, but ever since he saw her walk down the stairs at her house he wanted to hold her close. Their other hands were still connected and Sam enjoyed the way her small hand fit into his. Mercedes leaned her head against his chest and Sam hoped she couldn't feel his heart beating a million miles an hour. His stomach was full of butterflies and he tried to call his nerves, before they actually decided to speak. They swayed silently to the sound of Rachel's voice coming over the loud speakers. The silence was comforting, a break from the hecticness that was his life. After a few more moments a silence, Sam looked down and saw Mercedes' chocolate brown eyes were looking at him and he found himself lost. There swaying motions came to a slow stop and Sam forced himself to breath, astonished by the fact that every time he looked at her she appeared more beautiful. Mercedes bottom lip dropped slightly and he felt himself leaning in to kiss her. Mercedes suddenly broke eye contact, turning her head down, and they began swaying again. Mercedes let out a small chuckle and Sam was nervous that she was laughing as his attempt to kiss her or the fact that he was a terrible dancer and he began to blush.

"What's so funny? Am I swaying wrong?" This caused Mercedes to laugh even harder.

"No, not at all," she sputtered. She regained her composure and with a soft tone she replied, "Your swaying is perfect." She dropped her eyes and Sam felt his cheeks brighten again. Rachel sang out the last note and Mercedes began to pull away.

"Hey, where are you going?" Sam said as he smiled down at her, pulling her back into their embrace. She looked as shocked as she did when he first asked her to dance.

"I figured, with Rachel being the way she is, she'll demand to do an encore and you're the only person I want to be my partner." Sam tried to make sure that his voice didn't falter. He was trying to be smooth, but Mercedes was making it hard to keep his composure. Mercedes tucked her head down and bit her lip,

"Sam, you don't have to do this. I know Rachel put you up to dancing with me in the first place." The band began to play the opening notes to _My Heart Will Go On_, but Sam and Mercedes didn't move. Mercedes dropped her arm and began walking back to the table she had been sitting at before he asked her to dance, but he pulled her back with the hand he was still holding.

"Mercedes, I don't know what you're talking about. I wanted to dance with you because…well, I wanted to dance with you." He tugged her hand again and pulled her in closer. "Over the last week, hanging out and planning prom with you has been amazing." Mercedes bit her lip, which Sam had decided was a habit she did when she was nervous. "The only thing that would have made it better is if Rachel wasn't there." Mercedes gasped and gave him a slight tap.

"That's rude!"

"Well it's the truth!" Mercedes looked at him like a deer caught in the head lights.

"Let me prove it to you, let me take you on a date tomorrow?" Her bottom lip dropping again and she stood frozen for moment.

"Why me? I was horrible to you two weeks ago. I basically called you a slut." Her eyes shifted away again in shame.

"I can see further than the hurt façade you put on. I know you were hurt that Kurt wasn't telling you anything and I know you and Quinn used to be close. She used to tell me about how much you guys used to hang out and I obviously see that she hasn't talked to you in a while. You think nobody can tell when something else is bothering you and you try to act tough, but I can see you Mercedes," Sam said intently as he released the hand that was holding hers and brushed her cheek. He was now the one biting his lip, trying to resist the urge to kiss her flawless face. They were close again and the smell of vanilla and cinnamon overtook his senses. _So this is what heaven must smell like._

"And plus you've already apologized for it about a hundred times this week," he said with a smirk, causing Mercedes to let out a small giggle. He pulled her in a little closer,

"So I'm going to take that smile as a yes?" Mercedes quietly nodded her head, trying to hide the smile that Sam saw creep on her face. He grabbed Mercedes hand again and waist and Mercedes put her hand back on his shoulder. She rested her head on his chest once more and Sam leaned down and placed a simple kiss on top of her head.

_You are the one that makes me loose it all_

_This is the start of something new _

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><p><em>And I throw it all away<em>

_Watch you fall into my arms again _

Sam and Mercedes sat in "Bean around the World." There were about ten thousand coffee shops in New York City, but this one had the coolest name. Mercedes seemed to agree with him, even though she said it was as corny as he was. It also was close to the park so if Mercedes wanted, they could go for a walk. He watched, from the bar, as Mercedes settled into a booth that was against the wall but across from the stage. Her hair tumbled down over her shoulder and she looked so adorable fiddling with her hands. He grabbed her hot chocolate with cinnamon and his hot chocolate with peppermint. It may have been late spring, but anytime is a perfect time for hot chocolate … or that's what Sam liked to think. And it seemed Mercedes did also.

"Here you go beautiful," he said as he placed her cocoa in front of her as he slid into seat across from her. He detected a slight blush form across her cheeks.

"Really Mercedes, I call you beautiful at least three times a day, I figured it wouldn't make you blush by now." Mercedes reached instinctively to touch her cheeks and his comment seemed to make her blush harder.

"Just because you say it all the time doesn't mean it can't catch me off guard."

"Well your beauty catches me off guard every day… it's only fair."

"Sam, you need to stop it, you're too much sometimes," she said with a playful pat on his shoulder.

"So tomorrow we perform. Are you nervous?"

Mercedes sat quietly, pondering his question for a moment. Sam observed the way her eyebrow creased while she was thinking and he couldn't get over how adorable she was. His thoughts were interrupted by her voice.

"Yes and no. I think our songs are enough to bring us to the top, but we really haven't rehearsed… But I'm confident in our abilities….I don't know! I'm trying to stay positive." Sam laughed at how flustered she got, but tried stifling his laugh, because he knew how she got when he laughed at her.

"That's how I feel," he choked out. She gave him a look that said, "Watch it boy," but seemed to decide to ignore his little outburst.

"We really should be practicing now though. Why'd you ask me out for coffee?"

"Well, everyone else has already snuck out since we've been here and I haven't talked to you in a while, like a whole 5 hours. I missed the chocolate to our swirl." Mercedes just shook her head with a small giggle. Mercedes began sipping her hot chocolate again and became really quiet, with a serious look on her face.

"Mercy, what's wrong?"

"Sam, what are we doing?" she said with a serious tone.

"Sitting in an awesome coffee shop, drinking the best hot chocolate I have ever tasted, aside from yours, and enjoying an awesome day with a beautiful girl," he said with a shrug of his shoulders and a wiggle of his brow, trying to lighten the mood. This did not amuse Mercedes.

"What are _we_ doing?" she asked with an eyebrow raise. Sam was caught off guard with the question and he didn't know how to answer. He should've expected it, but Mercedes had never tried to "label" their relationship before. Prom had only been two weeks ago but Sam and Mercedes had seen each other almost every day. The first date, a picnic while his brother and sister played, went off without a hitch. The conversation was nice, the weather beautiful, and his siblings hadn't embarrassed him too much. She gave him rides home after practices and stuck around his motel until he had to work. She would then watch his siblings at the hotel room or sometimes she took them to her house until he got off. She would help Sam, after work, with the homework he hadn't finished and they would sit and talk until close to midnight. He thought after the first week she would get tired of him but she always came back.

And now here they were, in "Bean around the World." He liked her, a lot, but he didn't know what he wanted from their relationship, so that's what he told her.

"I don't know," he muttered. His eyes darted to the ground and now he was the one fiddling with his hands. He heard Mercedes take in a deep sigh.

"Alright, I'm going to the ladies room." He thought he heard a slight crack in her voice at the end and he hoped he hadn't made her cry, but he was too ashamed to look up. He listened as her boots clicked away towards the direction of the bathrooms and thought back to what he had said to Finn earlier that day. "If I was in love with a girl and I wasn't homeless, I'd totally go for it." Well he was still homeless, but could he go for it? Should he go for it? Being homeless hadn't bothered Mercedes so far. Maybe she was worth the risk. He slapped himself in the head._ Why was he so stupid_? Instead of being a scared punk, he should have just said what he wanted..._her._

He looked up around the shop and saw a guitar resting on the stage. He searched for the owner and saw a girl in a red beanie sitting on the stage and he hoped that it was hers. He took a deep breath and walked up to the girl and explained the situation. The girl was more than happy to loan him his guitar and he got settled on the stage. He watched the hallway that led to the bathroom, fidgeting with anticipation. He saw her exit the bathroom, dabbing the napkin under her eye. He cursed himself, he had made her cry. But hopefully this would make things a lot better.

He cleared his throat and placed his mouth near the mic.

"Hi, uhh my name is Sam Evans and I'd like to sing a song for you. This is dedicated to Mercedes Jones, who I hope will be my girlfriend." He watched as her mouth gaped open and began to play "Only One" by The Icarus Account and hoped the message got across. The coffee shop clapped with the rhythm and Mercedes swayed in her seat, wiping what he hoped were tears of joy off her face.

He sang out the last note and took off the guitar. He walked over to her booth, holding his hand out,

"So would you like to be my girlfriend?"

"I would love to," she said as she placed her hand in his. He pulled her up into a kiss and the small coffee shop erupted into awes and claps. She pulled away from the kiss and slapped his shoulder.

"Ow! What was that for?"

"For making me think you didn't want me and for embarrassing me in front of these people." The small crowd observing them let out a chuckle, seeming to cause Mercedes to blush again. Sam placed his hand on her cheek and gave her a sly smile.

"Oh you think that's bad." Sam took off out of the shop and Mercedes followed behind. Sam walked into central park and jumped on the closest fountain.

"MECEDES JONES IS MY GIRLFRIEND!" he shouted. Mercedes blushed fiercely and tried to pull him down with no avail. He jumped around, avoiding her attempts to grab him, continuing to say the 5 word phrases over and over again. Some people sitting around the fountain had stopped and were staring at him. Some with blank face, others smiling remembering the times of young love. Sam watched as Mercedes looked around becoming concerned with the amount of people watching them.

"Please stop! Are you trying to make me die from embarrassment?" Sam jumped off from the fountain and gave her a wide smile.

"Dance with me?"

"What? No! There's no music!"

"I'll keep screaming," he said with an eyebrow raise. He inhaled, preparing to scream again, when Mercedes put her hand over his mouth.

"Anything but that."

"Then dance." Mercedes gave a grunt of stubbornness but Sam picked up her hand and gave it a kiss. She rolled her eyes but allowed him to place her hand on his shoulder. He put one hand on her waist and grabbed her free hand with his and they swayed silently to the music that no one could hear. Mercedes head rested comfortably on his chest.

"Sam Evans you are one crazy guy." They continued to dance, not caring that people in central park were staring.

"If people knew you were dating me, it could ruin your reputation." He stopped swaying at her words and looked down intently at her.

"And you think that matters to me! I mean it used to, but being homeless has taught me a lesson. Be with what makes you happy and Miss Jones that's you. I don't care about what other people will say. The only thing I care about is being with _you_."

_And I throw it all away _

_Watch you fall, now _

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><p><em>You are the earth I will stand on<em>

Sam stood on Mercedes porch on the last night of June. It was close to midnight and her dad would probably come at him with a shot gun, but it didn't matter, he needed to see her. He shifted his wait from his left foot, to his right, and back to his left, hoping his impatience would encourage Mercedes or someone to come to the door faster.

"Sam?" Mrs. Jones spoke as she opened the door, pulling her light blue bath robe around her waist. "What's wrong? Why are you here? Is your family alright?" Sam felt his throat tighten and willed the tears to stay hidden.

"We're leaving," were the only words he could muster out. Mrs. Jones looked stunned, but nodded her head in a silent agreement. She knew about Sam's situation and had told him that before Mercedes was born they had been in a similar situation so she must have known that this was an possibility. Sam watched as Mrs. Jones went upstairs to grab her daughter for her room. He began to shift his weight once more, standing awkwardly in the door frame. He glanced at his watch. It read 11:45, he promised his family he'd be home by 12:15, so they could leave as soon as possible. He was lucky to get that time to say goodbye, his dad almost didn't let him take the truck. Mercedes came down stairs in a pair of grey sweatpants, a black tank top, with her hair wrapped up in a purple scarf. Sam sighed at her simplistic beauty. She ran up to him and wrapped his arms around his waist, burying her face into his chest. His heart wretched at the fact that he was probably never going to see her again, never hold her again.

"Sam, what's going on?" she said wiping her eyes.

"We're getting kicked out."

"When are you leaving?" He averted her eyes before he answered the question. He knew that she would be hurting as much as he was.

"Tonight." It was quiet for a moment and Sam gathered the courage to look at her. Her bottom lip began to quiver and her eyes began to water.

"There's nothing I can do?" she whispered in a strained voice. Sam just shook his head.

Sam watched as Mercedes crossed her arms and her body began to shake. He placed his hands on her shoulders, pulling her in close.

"I don't want to say goodbye," she sobbed. Sam felt his eyes begin to rim with tears,

"Believe me, neither do I." They stood there, on Mercedes' porch, in a sad embrace. Terrified to let go, knowing that once it happened that it was over.

Sam's watch beeped signaling that he had 5 minutes before he had to leave.

"Mercedes, the past two months have been amazing." She nodded her head in agreement as he watched her struggle to stop the tears.

"No matter what happens in life, remember that you will always be the thing that saved me. When things get rough, I will always remember that first dance we had and I know that I will get through it. There will be nothing as great as we were. Whatever happens Mercedes, never forget that I love you." Mercedes began sobbing again and he pulled her into one last embrace.

"I love you to," she cried into his shirt, "dance with me?"

He gave her a small smile through watery eyes, "Of course."

_You are the words I will sing_

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><p><em>And I thrown it all away<em>

_Watched you fall into his arms again_

It was graduations and Sam was supposed to be ready to walk across the stage set up on the field, but instead he was punching a locker in the middle of McKinley High. He had tried to make the best of his senior year and it had been an amazing except every time he turned around Shane had his hands all over Mercedes and it made him sick to his stomach with jealousy. And today wasn't an exception. He went to get in place before the ceremony, excited to receive his diploma when he saw Shane giving Mercedes a kiss, telling her how proud he was of her for graduating with honors and it set him over the edge.

"Sam? I saw you storm off and we're supposed to be getting in our seats soon." Sam froze, recognizing the voice instantly. It was wrapped around his mind. He kept his back towards Mercedes, rubbing his knuckles.

He felt her hand grab his shoulder and he shook it off.

"Sam? What's wrong?" He tried to keep his cool, but how could she just not know what had been bothering him.

"Everything's wrong! I'm supposed to be happy about graduating today. I've been back for 5 months and still it gets me pissed to see you with him. It's supposed to be me who's holding you and who gets to be in your pictures. It was supposed to be me telling you how proud I am and telling you I love you. It's was supposed to me who held your hand as you walk down the hall, protect you from the jerks of this place. Don't get me wrong, I loved being back, but it was supposed to be me and you."

"Sam, I've told you-" He threw his arms up in the air,

"I know! I know! You're with Shane now! You have to do right by Shane! He loves you! Well what about me! I love you to! Is a summer fling all I'm going to ever be?"

"Sam," she choked out. He took a few steps to her brushed her cheek.

"Mercy, look me in the eyes and tell me you don't care anymore."

"You know I can't do that," she said staring at him intently as he was looking at her.

"Then why are you with him?"

"Because it's what _I_ need right now. Maybe if things had been different it could've happen, but he was there for me when no one else was and until he shows me that he can't be there for me, he's the one I'm going to be with." Sam looked carefully in her eyes and grabbed her face lightly with both of his hands. He closed the distance between them and whispered against her forehead,

"Then so be it," and then kissed her forehead. He held her in a light embrace, trying to not cross certain boundaries. He wanted to ask her to dance. Them dancing always seemed to make things better, but right now it seemed like it would make things all wrong. Sam pulled away, reluctantly, and began to make his way towards the field, resisting the urge to look back.

Sam attempted to push the hallway incident from his mind as he focused on the fact that he was growing up. Sure, going to college and working was going to be tough, but he was alive. He accepted his diploma with dorky grace. He saw his family cheering for him in the audience and he knew he would survive, with or _without _Mercedes. They threw their hats in the air and gave each other hugs. Sam went to find his family, but stopped as he watched Mercedes take pictures, Shane's arm located comfortably around her waist. He felt the burning pain of jealousy surface again. He remembered their first dance, the thing that had got him through the last couple of months that he hadn't been with her. His heart hurt and he couldn't look at her anymore. She had moved on, but he wasn't sure if he ever could.

_And I thrown it all away _

_Watched you fall, now _

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><p><em>And take me back<em>

_Take me home _

Sam paced in the back office of "Bean around the World" and hoped that everything had gone well with Kurt and Mercedes. Kurt was supposed to be bringing her to the coffee place where he asked her to be his girlfriend five years earlier. He overheard what he thought was her laugh. He peaked out of the office and saw the guy behind the counter flirting with her and she was eating it up! Sam went back into the office and tried calming himself down, she had no idea that he was even in New York.

Now, most people would have said Sam Evans was crazy for chasing a girl down after not seeing her in five years, but there was something about Mercedes Jones that just made things seem unfinished. But it wasn't like he had put his life on hold for her. He had dated some girls while he went to Ohio State for undergrad but no one came even close to the spark he felt with Mercedes all those years ago; the spark that kept him up at night at various times over the past years. He had dreams about their times together in the past _and future _and he knew that he just had to find a way to give it one more shot.

Sam denied, multiple times, overhearing Finn, who he shared an apartment with in Lima, talk to Rachel on the phone about how she was a jealous of the fact that Mercedes and Kurt moved in together in New York. And some may say that Sam stopping by "unexpectedly" at the Hummel-Hudson house after Finn may or may not have told him that they were having a big thanksgiving dinner that Kurt had already RSVP'D to wasn't just a coincidence. But that was Sam's story and he was sticking to it.

But coincidence or not, Sam had run into Kurt and they had a moment to talk about life and catch up. And while they were catching up, Sam "accidently" let it slip that he still thought about Mercedes…all the time. Romance, as Sam knew, was probably Kurt's favorite thing. Kurt hinted at the fact that he thought Mercedes still had feelings for him.

It had felt like they were creating an evil plot, but it was a plot for love.

"_It's settled then. Come up during Christmas time and I'll have her where she needs to be._"

Sam looked at his phone, reading the text that Kurt had sent him. _She cares for you, I know it._ The owner of the little coffee shop came into the office and informed him that the band had finished setting up and was going to start playing in two minutes. Sam took a deep breath in and checked himself in the mirror. He thought about going with a tux and bow low tie, but thought that it may have been a little over top, so he settled on a pair a black pants and Kurt hinted to wearing a purple shirt of some kind so he did. When he was certain that there was no food in his teeth and his cowlick wasn't sticking up, he headed towards the main part of the shop. He heard the girl on piano play the open chords to "Jars of Heart" which was his cue. He exited the hallway, heading to the booth that still had Sam + Mercedes carved on the side. It was a tag they added a few hours before the left New York, so that there was always a proof that they were together. He watched as Mercedes smile faded slightly at the sound of the music and her eyes focused down at the table, like they did at prom. He wondered if the memories of them flooded back to her like they had to him all those nights. He thought about turning around afraid that she just wanted to keep him a distant memory, but Kurt gave him a quick glance and a nod and he knew there was no going back.

Her hair was down, framed around her face. She was wearing a purple knit dress, which accentuated every part of her body, with gray tights and a gray scarf. Her natural lip gloss made her lips shine, reminding him how kissable they were. She looked stunning and he wouldn't have been surprised if he couldn't speak. But he mustered the energy,

"Mercedes?" Her head snapped up at him in shock. Her mouth gaped open, her eyes wide in surprise. It reminded him of prom so much.

"I just wanted to tell you that you look beautiful. Would you like to dance?" Sam held his hand out for her just like he five years ago. She seemed to inhale trying to catch her breath, but was able to give him a small smile, just like the one at junior prom,

"I would love to."

_Watch me fall, down to earth _

_Take me back home _

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><p><em>This is the start of something beautiful<em>

The instrumentals began as Sam twirled Mercedes around as they got settled into a spot on the dance floor. Mesmerized by her smile, he would never get tired of seeing it on her face. He pulled her in by her waist and Mercedes placed her head on his shoulder, like clockwork. The bottom of her white gown brushed against his leg, reminding him that this was in fact real.

Santana began singing "Make You Feel My Love," and he felt Mercedes shake. He looked down, squeezing her hand signaling for her to look up. She was crying.

"Please don't tell me you've changed your mind, because it's a little late for that." Mercedes let out a laugh.

"Never, never in a million years would I change my mind," she said with a quick bite on her bottom lip. He felt the butterflies that she had caused since that first dance begin to flutter.

"Do I still make you nervous after eight years?" he spoke, still trying to play the smooth guy.

"I don't ever think you'll stop making me nervous," she said with a smile as another tear slid down her cheek.

"Good, because you look adorable when you bite that lip."

He felt his face turn into a grin as Mercedes' eyes shone up at him. He forced himself to breath, still amazed by the way she left him breathless. It reminded him of junior prom all those years ago and the feeling he had of wanting to kiss her. Not much had changed. Pulling her in tighter, Sam felt warmness in his soul from having the person who held his heart so close to him. He glanced at their lock hands, their silver wedding bands shining in the light. He leaned over, pressing his foreheads to hers, and placed a delicate kiss on her lips. Mercedes placed her head back on Sam's chest and he kissed the top of her head.

"I love you Mrs. Evans."

_You are the start of something new_

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><p><strong>AN: SO I HOPED YOU LOVED IT! Review please. Because if it was terrible I just need to stop. Also, the part were Mercedes doesn't take Sam back is something I do not want at all, but my brain wouldn't let me write it any other way. I want Samcedes back ASAP :) <strong>


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